The Texas Rangers are only pretending they don't have the money to sign free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today, because they want to be able to submit the best possible bid for the three-time All-Star.
Texas has spent $111.7 million to land Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish--$60 million for a contract, $51.7 million for the posting fee owed to his Japanese club--and would appear to be out of the running for any big-name free agent.
Nightengale concedes the Rangers would need "a bit of ingenuity" and perhaps even "some opt-out clauses" to sign Fielder, but they will nonetheless try to. If they're able to make a competitive offer, he may land in the Lone Star State instead of with the Washington Nationals. Reports of the Nats' interest have run hot and cold.
For more on the Nationals, head on over to Federal Baseball, SB Nation's Nationals blog.